USA - Washington & Oregon Flashcards
Wine production in Washington?
Washington has emerged as the nation’s second largest producer of premium wines, accounting for approximately 5% of the nation’s total production.
- 99% of its vineyards, are located east of the Cascade Mountains, where the mountains’ rain shadow effect turns the land arid and necessitates irrigation.
Type of climate in WA?
continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters: frost and winter freezes are serious concerns for growers
Soil in the east part of the Cascade?
the bedrock is basalt, overlaid by sediments deposited by the Missoula Floods
What is the largest appellation in WA?
Columbia Valley AVA
- It follows the outline of the Columbia River Basin down to the Oregon border.
Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, and Horse Heaven Hills (within Columbia Valley)
4 AVAs inside Yakima Valley?
Snipes Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Candy Mountain.
Main grapes in Rattlesnake Hills?
Riesling is the most planted variety, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
What is the particularity of Red Mountain AVA?
Red Mountain is Washington’s warmest growing region as well as its most densely planted AVA. It has developed a reputation for noteworthy, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon.
Where is located Candy Mountain AVA (2020)?
Candy Mountain, Washington’s newest and smallest AVA, is a south-facing slope located southeast of Red Mountain.
Where is Walla Walla Valley AVA?
In the southern part, shared with Oregon.
Main grapes in Walla Walla?
premium red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah
Grapes varieties in WA?
W = led by Chardonnay and Riesling and Gewürztraminer, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc
R = Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc.
AVAs in Washington?
Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley Candy Mountain 2020 Columbia Gorge (shared with Oregon) Columbia Valley (shared with Oregon) Horse Heaven Hills Lake Chelan Lewis-Clark Valley (shared with Idaho) 2016 Naches Heights Puget Sound Rattlesnake Hills Red Mountain Royal Slope 2020 Snipes Mountain Wahluke Slope Walla Walla Valley (shared with Oregon) Yakima Valley 1983 (the 1st AVA in WA)
4 AVAs in Oregon at the border with WA?
Columbia Gorge, Columbia Valley, and Walla Walla Valley, and The Rocks of Milton-Freewater AVA
What is important in The Rocks of Milton-Freewater AVA (2015)?
It features topsoil of basalt cobblestones similae to the galets of Châteauneuf-du-Pape—and producers are just beginning to explore its potential for Rhône-style wines.
Which is the AVA on the eastern side of Oregon?
Snake River Valley AVA (shared with Idaho)
Where is located Willamette Valley AVA?
Between the Cascades and the Coastal Range
Who were the firsts that discover the potential in Willamette Valley for Pinot Noir?
David Lett of Eyrie and Charles Coury were the first to explore its potential, traveling northward from California to plant Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley in the mid-1960s. Dick Erath, Dick Ponzi, and others followed not long thereafter, seeking a more marginal climate for the grape.
What changed the reputation in Willamette Valley Pinot Noir?
Lett’s 1975 “South Block Reserve” Pinot Noir achieved outstanding results in French competition
Which French wineries started to buy vineyards in Willamette?
The Burgundy négociant Maison Joseph Drouhin purchased Dundee Hills property in 1987
The main six AVAs within Willamette Valley?
Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, Ribbon Ridge, McMinnville, Yamhill-Carlton District, and Chehalem Mountains.
Which are the newest AVAs within Willamette?
Van Duzer Corridor AVA was approved in 2019, followed by the Laurelwood District and Tualatin Hills AVAs in 2020
What is the soil in Dundee Hills AVA?
Jory, a well-drained soil series of volcanic origin, is common in the “red hills” of Dundee
What is the soil in Ribbon Ridge AVA?
marine sedimentary soils called Willakenzie
Main white grapes in Oregon?
Pinot Gris (vinified in dry and off-dry styles), Chardonnay, and Riesling.
Main AVAs in southern Oregon?
From N to S:
Umpqua Valley, Elkton Oregon, Rogue Valley, Applegate Valley, and Red Hill Douglas County
Main grapes varieties in southern Oregon?
Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Chardonnay
Label laws?
Varietal wines from Oregon, excluding those produced from white and red Bordeaux varieties, major Rhône grapes, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Tannat, and Tempranillo, must contain a minimum 90% of the stated variety rather than the standard 75%. Thus, Oregon Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris must contain a minimum 90% of either grape. Oregon also maintains stricter state laws for labeling by region: a wine labeled by an AVA within Oregon must contain a minimum 95% of grapes grown in the respective appellation, rather than the 85% mandated by federal law.
